COP 28 Day 12+ The final agreement
All night long
The COP28 president was very optimistic when he stated that this conference would end on time. They will be going through the night in order to come up with an agreement.
- A new version of the deal will have strong words about phasing out fossil fuels.
- 198 countries have to all agree on the wording
- Many small islands feel that the refusal of the oil rich countries to ‘phase out’ fossil fuels is threatening their very existence
- Oil rich nations have been advised by OPEC not to allow ‘phase out’
- Climate activists have been waving placards all day over the removal of the word ‘phase out’ from yesterday.
- The UK climate minister has been criticised for flying back home as he was called home to vote for a bill that the government is in danger of losing.
Here it is: the final agreement:
It is not legally binding but it shows the way forward.
‘Phase out’ fossil fuels is not in there. Countries will contribute to transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner. The fossil fuel era is coming to an end but the agreement is vague enough so that oil producers can keep on producing.
The agreement promises to treble renewable energy by 2030.
It is not compulsory for richer countries to contribute to the damage and loss fund to help poorer countries deal with climate change.
It is hoped that global emissions will peak by 2025… We need more than hope for this to happen.
198 countries agreed.
The science – it is real and it is here… final comment from fragile guernsey
Sea levels will start to rise as the land ice melts. The island of Guernsey was two islands in the first half of the 19th century. The channel between the two islands was filled in and made into a very straight road which is called Route Militaire. As this is at sea level then it is vulnerable to sea level rise.
As a small island with large tides and powerful storms, the north of the island is at risk when the sea levels rise. The main town, west coast and north coast floods already today. When the island gets this small in 2300, it will not be able to support the current population and climate migrants will have headed towards the UK or France.
All of our electricity (in non peak times) is from renewable resources. We don’t help ourselves by having three times as many cars as people, but do we deserve to lose our home due to other large nations wanting to keep their oil income until the very last minute?
Will the OPEC countries welcome climate migrants with open arms, say sorry we kept extracting oil for so long and then we all live happily ever after. Is this our modern fairy tale, or will it turn into a modern nightmare when those countries say no way can you come here and build huge walls to keep people out? Or maybe their countries will become inhabitable in the intense heat and they start heading North. Will we let them in?
It may be too late for keeping to 1.5 degrees warming and this historic agreement is not legally binding so countries could renege but this conference has built momentum, the people of planet Earth want to wean themselves off fossil fuel and this historic agreement will show them the way. The young people, the leaders the future, were impressive in their understanding and commitment to a fossil free future and it is in this next generation that we can have hope for a future beyond the next couple of hundred years.
